At The Pokemon Christmas Bash
by CeruleanWaves11
Summary: Delia decides to throw a Christmas party, and invites all of Ash's old friends (and not-quite-friends) to come! What will happen when old companions and rivals meet again? Guaranteed to be fluffy and shippy. Includes Poke, Contest, Ikari, Rocket, Wishful and Brock/Jenny; based on the Pokemon Christmas Bash album. Complete for now.
1. Chapter 1: PokeShipping

**A/N: Very important! **In order to understand most of this story, you need to have listened to the Pokémon Christmas Bash album. Also, all of the characters are about two years or so older than they were in the beginning of the show. So Ash and Misty and the other twerps—erm, kids are about 13, while Brock, Cilan and Tracey are all between 16 and 17.

_F__riends and foes alike were gathered at the Ketchum residence for a cheery Christmas party. Snowflakes danced outside the windows, creating a warm and fuzzy feeling within the house. Many memories were made that night, but this particular story begins with a certain aspiring Pokémon trainer…_

_(A/N: Based on "Under The Mistletoe", track 7)_

'I'm sure no one will notice—'

"Oh, hey Ash! Nice party, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ash scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"So, did you see Nurse Joy?"

"Yeah, maybe you should tell Brock."

"Or not…"

Just then, a fiery haired waiter came by, pushing a cart full of refreshments.

"Look, Pikachu! Christmas cookies!"

"Pika!"

"Excuse us, Misty. We're really hungry."

"Oh, okay…"

As politely as he could, Ash stepped past her in pursuit of his prize: a tray of fresh gingerbread cookies, dripping with icing. Since his eyes were focused elsewhere, he failed to notice the bump in the floor where hardwood met carpet. The toe of his shoe caught the edge, and he flailed as he descended towards the floor. With a shout, he brought Misty down with him. They wound up in quite a compromising position: neither completely on top or underneath of the other. Pikachu managed to jump off of his master's shoulder before he was brought down as well. The mouse Pokémon just shook his head, clearly amused by the looks on the two teens' faces. Other guests milled about, minding their own business.

"Gaaah! Sorry, Mist!" Ash jumped up and offered a hand to her. She was trying to conceal a massive blush as she placed her small hand in his gloved one. Once she was standing, the young trainer boy dashed off in the direction that he'd seen Chili heading with the food.

'I wonder what his problem is…' the orange haired girl sighed and leaned back against the doorway. Something green caught her eye from above and she glanced up. 'No way…So _that's_ why he was acting all funny!' A festive piece of mistletoe swayed overhead, attached to the doorframe by some tape. 'Nah; Ash of all people couldn't possibly know what that means. He was probably just hungry, as usual.'

"Oooh! Pikachu, grab me a plate, will ya? Here's a brownie—oh, no one's looking; I'll take two. Want some triple layer cookies, buddy?"

"Pi, pika."

"I'll take that as a yes." Loaded up with a pile of sugar-infused goodies, the two set off to find a place where they could eat at. Unfortunately for them, the tables and couches were already completely preoccupied. In fact, there were so many people in the house that there was hardly anyplace to stand, either. The only empty spot seemed to be…

"Wow, Ash, you sure are hungry! If I didn't know you better, I'd doubt if you could eat all that."

"Hah, well, Cilan and his brothers are awesome cooks."

"Better than Brock?"

"Hmm…I don't know about that, Mist. Why don't you try some and see?"

"Really? Thanks!"

Between the three of them, the plate was bare in no time.

"I had no idea Pikachu could eat so much," commented Misty.

"Me neither…"

"Pikaaa…" it groaned. Ash looked to be in a coma; his eyes closed, leaning up against the wall. Directly under the doorway.

"Ash?"

"Uhnnn…?"

"Did you notice…where we're standing?"

Hesitantly, he looked up, pretending he hadn't known the whole time.

"Wha—gah!" Faster than a Rapidash on a treadmill, he sped off into the other room. In the midst of his frenzied sprint, he smashed right into Chili, who was once again making his rounds of restocking the supply of food. There was a loud thud and lots of crashing when they made contact with the hard floor.

"Oww…" they simultaneously moaned, clutching their aching foreheads.

"Oh, Chili! Are you okay‽" a panicked ginger-haired girl shouted as she pushed through the mass of conversing people that obstructed her path.

"Thanks, Darbs. I'm fine."

Another girl also dashed over. "Ash! What was—oh Mew. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Misty." Now it was she who reached down to take the hand of her fallen friend.

"Ah! Ouch. I think I hurt my ankle a little when I fell. Wow, that hurts," complained the raven-haired trainer.

"Here, let me help." Misty assisted him into a standing position and allowed him to drape one arm across her shoulder. Once again, a telltale blush started inching its way across her face, and surprisingly Ash's cheeks had acquired a pinkish tint as well. Together they hobbled over to the stairs, which were by the front door. They were faced with an obstacle along the way, though: they had to pass under the doorway in order to reach it, and there wasn't any way around it. They decided to ignore it, and things were going smoothly until…

"What's this I see? Perhaps two young lovebirds sneaking off for some privacy?" a feminine voice called. The person at its source was shrouded in the shadows.

"What‽ No way!" shrieked Misty.

"Huh?" was all Ash could come up with. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on.

"You'd better come out _right now_ and show us who you are!"

"Or what, Sunshine?"

Misty used her free hand to whip out her signature frying pan. "Or _this_."

"Oh, all right. But only because you were so polite." Out of the shadows emerged a slender figure clad in green pants that flared at the bottom, a tight red top with a snowman shape cut out around their bellybutton, and a pair of fake Stantler ears to top off the outfit; truly a horrendous sight indeed.

"Harley‽ Who invited _you_ here‽" Ash was very surprised; May's flamboyant rival/stalker was among the last people he'd expected to see.

"Details, hon. They really don't matter," Harley chided. "Now tell me, what's one of May's boy toys—oops, Drewsy would kill me if he heard that—doing with this, erm, young lady?"

"For your information, whoever you are, I'm Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader. And Ash hurt his ankle, so we're getting him a place to sit. So _you_ can go mind your own business!"

"Ooh, someone's testy! Better be careful, Ashy. By the way, the name's Harley. I'm one of May's good friends."

"Pfft. Don't listen to him, Misty. He's a cheat who loves to torture May during contests with his evil schemes."

"This isn't about _me_, hon." He pointed at the two of them. "It's about you two, who are standing—" he gestured towards the green frond dangling overhead. "Obviously you two don't know what that means, so allow me to enlighten you. See, when two people meet under the mistletoe, they must kiss. It's not a choice, it's an obligation."

"Harley, why do you care what we do?" inquired Ash, who was beginning to understand what Harley had been saying earlier.

"Because, darling, as official Matchmaker in our little circle of friends, it's my job to see to it that everyone finds their soul mate!"

'Soul mate, huh? He really thinks so?' Misty pondered this while Ash dealt with the frilly nightmare.

"When did you—never mind. Sorry Harley, but it's not gonna happen. Why don't you go harass May and Drew?"

"Silly Ash! I'm much more clever than you think. We're in _your_ house, remember. So," he pulled out a handful of photographs from his pocket, "I grabbed _these_. I figured they'd come in handy sooner or later." Harley flicked his purple hair in a very Drew-like manner and brandished the photos for Ash to see. 'Why am I so surprised? This is right up his alley. Didn't he do something like this to May in a contest once?' Ash was still very irritated, and Misty was literally fuming.

"Give those back, _now_." Ash demanded.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast. That wouldn't do you much good."

"What do you mean by that‽"

"Hehe...these are mere grains of salt compared to my entire collection," replied a confident, cocky Harley.

"Oh Mew…" the two teens sighed. It seemed as if he had them trapped. Harley just smirked in a most satisfied way as he observed the awkward scene before him.

"Is it like this?" asked Ash, who was pursing his lips in an exaggerated manner.

"No, Ash. Stop being dumb."

" 'No, Ash. Stop being dumb,' " he mocked. "Then how do they do it in those shōjo mangas you used to always read?"

"What‽ Who ever said I read those?"

"I saw you reading them all the time when we used to travel together!"

"I never—ugh. Just forget about it and follow my lead."

'These are the most pathetic two I've ever seen!' Harley was beyond entertained. He was barely suppressing a laugh as Misty closed her eyes and inched towards Ash.

' 'Follow my lead'? What's that supposed t—' his thoughts were cut short by the pressure of Misty's lips against his. His heart started beating like thunder and his mind felt like it had blown a fuse, which confused him greatly. 'Why do I feel so funny? Why does it feel like there are Beautiflies in my stomach? Maybe it was the cookies…' Misty pulled away.

"I, uh…" she stammered.

"Yeah…Harley, w—huh? Where'd he go‽"

The purple haired man(?) had vanished without a trace…except for a pile of Ash's baby pictures that had been left on the hallway table.

"Now why would he do that?"

"Ash?"

"What's up, Mist?" he tried to sound as calm as he could, like nothing had happened. In all honesty, he wasn't sure himself what had just happened.

"Was I…I mean, was it…good?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean—w-well, yeah."

"Really?" She was shocked. 'Ash thought I was a good kisser!'

"I mean, I've never kissed anyone before, so—"

"What about that time in Alto Mare?"

"We shall never speak of that again."

"Fine by me," she said with a laugh. "But Ash, I need to tell you something. I've been keeping a secret from all of you…Oh my gosh! My favorite Christmas song is on! Let's dance!"

"But my ankle!"

"Be a man for once. C'mon!" Grabbing him by the hand, she dragged him out into the main room where many other friends of theirs were dancing and socializing. Misty didn't know half of these people.

"Mist, you said you needed to tell me something?"

"Oh yeah…" she took a deep breath to try to steady her nerves. "Ash, I've had a crush on you since we first met, and I…I really like you."

"W-what?"

'Oh no…What have I done‽' "I'm so sorry!" She turned to run, but Ash caught her by the wrist.

"Wait, Misty. I haven't really thought it over much, but when you kissed me, I felt something, deep in my stomach, like there were Butterfrees inside of me. And I think…I think I like you, too."

**A/N:** I hope you liked it! Harley was so much fun to write :D


	2. Chapter 2: Brock x Jenny

_Our next story takes place on the opposite end of the house, where a lonely Brock sat on a stool with a glass of sparkling grape juice in hand._

_(A/N: Based on Brock's parody of "Joy to the World" in "Pokémon Christmas Medley", track 10, and his lines in "Pokémon Christmas Bash", track 1)_

He had all but given up hope on seeing either his beloved Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy that evening, when a young bluenette walked by. She appeared to be about seventeen as well, and was dressed in a comfortable red v-neck tee and tan khakis. 'Hello, beautiful!' Brock sprang to his knees in front of the woman and clasped her hands in his.

"JENNY!" he exclaimed, after long last finally finding her. Visibly shaken by surprise, it took her a moment to formulate a sentence.

"Hello…I'm sorry, have we met before? You don't look familiar."

"Dearest Jenny, the past is not matter of concern now. Can't you see that this was not a chance meeting? No, it was by the hands of Fate that we were brought together on this cold winter's night!"

"It was?" Now somewhat creeped, she began scanning the room for her aunt, Jenny from Viridian. 'No such luck.'

"Ravishing Jenny, won't you share this dance with me?" he pleaded, eternally grateful that Croagunk was back home in Pewter. He swept the girl onto the dance floor, not noticing his two original traveling companions dancing together just a few yards away.

"Wow, Brock. You sure are light on your feet." He was gracefully twirling her around to the tune of "Jingle Bell Rock".

"You're a wonderful dancer yourself!" he gushed. He was thanking his lucky stars for this moment; a beautiful woman was, at long last, giving him a chance!

"Thank you, Brock. So, are you a Trainer?"

"I used to be. In fact, I was Pewter City's gym leader for several years, but my dad took over a while ago. I'm studying to be a Pokémon doctor. I graduate from school in six weeks."

"Congratulations! Coincidentally, I graduate from the police academy in six weeks as well."

"What's it like being an officer?"

"It's exciting…fun, I guess…" She hung her head as if embarrassed.

"What do you mean, 'I guess'?" 'This Jenny, she's different from the others. I can just sense it…'

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" 'Surely there's no harm in telling this guy, right? I doubt he'd do anything about it.'

"Your secret is safe with me!"

"I don't really want to be a police officer." Jenny felt like a disgrace to her family, and saying it out loud only made it seem that much worse.

'Bam.' Brock thought. "Then what do you want to be?"

She hesitated. 'Will he laugh?' After a brief mental conflict, she replied honestly, "I think I'd like to be a breeder."

"No way!" he gasped.

"A _Pokémon _breeder, mind you."

Brock gave her an offended "no duh" face before explaining how he had once been a breeder himself, before moving on to become a doctor. They were both bewildered by the contingency of it all; Brock's statement about "fate bringing them together" was looking all the more true by the second.

**A/N:** A short chapter, I know. This pairing will come up again eventually, and I plan on extending this fic for quite some time after Christmas (due to the fact that my laptop was confiscated in the midst of writing it). Next chapter: **IkariShipping**, for my dear friend Pokemongirl101618.


	3. Chapter 3: Ikari

_N__ow we join the Shinji brothers, who've just arrived at the scene of the party. The older of the two, Reggie, is characteristically excited about coming, but Paul…not so much._

"Remind me again why I have to go?"

"C'mon, Paul. It's a Christmas party!"

"And your point?"

"Because I said so, and since I'm your mean, scary older brother you have to do what I say."

"As if," Paul huffed. Reggie had dragged him all the way to Pallet from Veilstone, just to attend some dumb party that his rival was throwing. 'I should be training,' he thought, 'or taking a nap.' But he knew that there was no arguing with his brother; Reggie may be mild mannered, but he was _very_ determined.

"Sorry we're late, everyone!" the much louder, much friendlier of the two purple haired brothers exclaimed as he burst through the door.

"Reggie! Hey!" A boy about Paul's age and height dashed over to greet him.

"Hiya Ash! Thanks for inviting us. The place looks great!"

"All the credit goes to mom and Mr. Mime for that," he said with a laugh. "Did Paul come?"

"Oh yeah, he was really excited about seeing you guys again." He turned around and grabbed his moping brother—who was still hiding out on the doorstep—by the collar and dragged him inside. "Weren't you, bud?"

"Thrilled."

"I see," Ash said flatly. "Well, come in and join the party! Are you guys hungry?"

"No thanks. We ate a little while we were on the road," Reggie answered. It was then that a teenage girl walked up beside Ash.

"Oh, hello," Misty said, "I'm Misty, Cerulean's gym leader and Ash's friend. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm Reggie. This party pooper here is my brother Paul."

"Hi Paul, nice to meet you too."

"Hmph." Paul said. He was dying to get out of here, and he'd only been at the party for two minutes.

"Are you sure they're brothers?" Misty whispered to Ash.

"Maybe one was adopted," he replied. "We're not even sure if Paul's human."

After doing a bit of catching up, the two pairs parted ways. Now in the main room, Reggie noticed another familiar face.

"Hey bro, isn't that the girl you're always going on about?"

"The _what_?" He looked over to where his brother was pointing and sure enough, there stood the blue haired girl from Twinleaf. She was chatting with Zoey, who seemed to have noticed Paul staring and whispered something to Dawn, who blushed tremendously and shook her head. With a laugh, Zoey walked away towards the kitchen. "You mean Dawn? What makes you think I like _her_?"

"It's my job to just know these things. Oh look, here she comes."

* * *

*Dawn POV*

He's really here. Really, truly here…at a party? Reggie must've dragged him along.

"I'll just leave you two be. I'm sure you have a ton of catching up to do, right Dane?" Zoey winked at me and walked away, laughing hysterically to herself. Mew, that girl is weird sometimes. I suppose it's inevitable; he's already seen me. I take a few steps closer. Why am I getting dizzy? Must be the lighting. I take a deep breath—why? Am I…_nervous_? Nah…—and walk the remaining steps between us.

"Paul! Reggie! It's great to see you here!"

"Same to you, Dawn! How are you?" Same old friendly Reggie.

"Fine, thanks. I—"

"Oh, hey! It's my old friend Marina! Well, I'll be seeing you guys. Have fun!" And faster than he'd came, Reggie was gone. Weird.

"Well that was odd…" Now it was just us. I suppose I was grateful…I have to admit, there's definitely something about Paul that draws me in. It's just so much fun pushing his buttons. "So, I heard you challenged the Indigo League. How'd that go?"

"Third place," he announced proudly.

"Impressive. I'm not surprised, though. You wouldn't give in easily." I admitted. Of course, I'd already known where he'd finished; I'd seen the whole thing on TV. Not that I'd tell him that.

"You did pretty well in the Wallace Cup in Johto, too. Right?" How did he know I competed in the Cup…? I only told Ash, Iris and Cilan, right before I left Unova.

"Uh, yeah. I was first runner up. I lost to an old friend of mine."

"Piplup did pretty well in the appeals, I'll give you that. But you need to improve Buizel's Aqua Jet. The timing of his rotation is off." Wait, what?

"How did you—wait! Did you _watch_ the contest‽"

"Don't get your hopes up, troublesome. It was on the way back from the Plateau, so I dropped in for a bit." For some reason he was smirking at me, and my cheeks were getting warm.

"I couldn't care less whether you came or not."

"I think we both know that's not true." Hey, no fair! I'm supposed to be pushing _his_ buttons, not vice versa. "Anyways, do you have your Pokémon with you?" And then he changes the subject like that? The nerve!

"Buizel, Piplup, Buneary and Mamoswine, why? Do you want to insult them to their faces?"

He scowled. Point for me. "I wanted to challenge you to a battle." A battle? Here? Now?

"Why?"

"I could tell by your performance in the Wallace Cup that you've come a long way since we last met. I want to test how much you've learned."

"Even if I accept, where would we battle?"

"Outside, where else?" Outside‽ In the snow? He must be insane.

"But it's freezing out there!"

"It's not that bad. The snow's letting up, anyways."

"I'll get you for this, Shinji."

* * *

*Regular POV*

"Mamoswine, spotlight!"

"Monferno, stand by for battle!" Two red beams of light shot out from each trainers' Pokéball. 'Chimchar must've evolved right after the league.' Dawn thought. 'He also has the type advantage, but Mamoswine's power increases in this weather.'

"You can have the first move, troublesome."

"Okay, but you'll regret that later! Mamoswine, Ice Beam!" A radiant beam of ice shot from the massive Pokémon's mouth. It made contact with the light emerging from the house's windows, causing little crystals to shimmer and sparkle like magic dust. Paul was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the move, throwing him off rhythm and allowing the attack to hit dead-on before he could tell his Pokémon to dodge.

"Shake it off, Monferno! Hit 'em with Flamethrower!" The blazing hot attack headed at their opponent with impeccable speed.

"Counter with Energy Ball!" The two attacks rushed at each other and created an explosion of light. Unfortunately for Dawn, Mamoswine's attack was not enough to prevent Flamethrower from hitting. Though it wasn't at full force, the fire-type attack caused massive damage to the ice type. Monferno was blown backwards by the aftershock of the collision of the two attacks.

"Okay, Mamoswine, hang in there! Give them Take Down!"

"Mamooo!" It charged at Monferno, fast as lightning. The combination of it being nighttime and the swirling snowflakes everywhere, Monferno was having a hard time pinpointing where its attacker would come from.

"Monferno! To your left!" But it was too late, and the attack was a direct hit. Monferno fainted, but Mamoswine was damaged by recoil. The additional damage was too much for it, and it fainted as well. Both trainers recalled their Pokémon. "Torterra, stand by!"

"Buneary, take the stage!"

A thrilling battle ensued. Torterra had the lead at the beginning, knocking Buneary around for a bit with Magical Leaf, but the rabbit Pokémon rebounded with an onslaught of Swifts and Ice Beams. It was coming down to the wire.

"Buneary, use Bounce and follow with Swift!"

"Torterra, don't let it out of your sight! Use Frenzy Plant to grab it!" Giant vines shot from the ground as bright yellow stars rained from the sky. A vine found Buneary's leg and wrapped around it, dragging the tiny Pokémon down. Buneary was flung to the ground with tremendous force.

"Buuun!" it cried as it fell.

"No! Buneary, return!" Dawn recalled the fainted Pokémon and reached for her third Pokéball when Paul stopped her.

"Dawn, let's call it off. The storm is starting to pick back up again."

"But then you win! Remember, 'It's not that bad'!" she mocked.

"I'm serious! Pretty soon we won't be able to find our way back."

"Sure we will! Their house is right over—Oh no. Where is it‽" She started to panic. In the heat of the battle, they had become so absorbed that they stopped paying attention to the weather. Now, flurries of snowflakes surrounded them and chilled them to the bone. Dawn shivered.

"Are you cold?" Paul asked as he approached her.

"Y-yeah, a little…" He reached for his thick coat and wrapped it around the two of them, but gave her a warning glance.

"Don't even think it, Dawn."

"I wouldn't ever—wait, what did you call me?" 'Hold on. He never uses my real name…'

"That _is_ your name, isn't it?" He hoped she couldn't see his face at the moment.

"Well yeah, but you've never called me that before…"

"Is that so?" He paused for a second. "Well, it is a pretty name."

"Y-you really think so?" She realized she was stuttering, and not from the cold. He didn't answer her; rather, he pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket, brushing against her hand (accidentally) in the process, and sent out his Monferno once again.

"Monferno, lead us back to the house."

"Ferno!" It walked ahead of them, using the light from its flame to guide them. 'He's…so warm…No! Stop that, Dawn!' But she couldn't help but wonder how she really felt about this predicament; was being alone with him really such a bad thing?

'Man, she's cold. I almost feel bad…No. I'm sharing my jacket with her; what else could I do? She's just going to have to tough it out.' But when he noticed she was still shivering, something inside of him protested. 'Does she really deserve this? It was my idea to come out here…' That realization dawned on him, and he knew that it was his fault that this had happened. In a moment of sympathy (maybe also courage?), he slid an arm around her waist and drew her closer to his side. She flinched; what was he doing?

"What?" she asked.

"You…you looked cold."

"Oh…uh, thanks…" 'I can't believe it…could this really be Paul?'

"Fern! Mon, monferno!" sounded a cry from ahead.

"Look! I think he's found it!" exclaimed Paul. They dashed towards his Pokémon, which had run back to them to lead them back. Once they'd caught up, it showed them to the front door. "Thank you, Monferno. Now rest." Monferno was sent back to his Pokéball, and Paul removed his coat from Dawn's shoulders. Had they not already have been pink from the cold, he would have suspected that the redness of her cheeks was in fact a blush. They reached for the doorknob at the same time, hands meeting on the cold metal surface. They jumped back like they'd been shocked. Dawn bowed her head and laughed awkwardly, and Paul reached again to open the door. They were greeted by a very worried-looking Reggie.

"What were you two doing outside‽ Are you CRAZY‽"

"We're sorry. We went out to battle and we got lost…" Paul explained.

"You have no idea how worried I was! At least you're safe now. But don't you EVER try something like that again!" They nodded and hung their heads in embarrassment. "Weren't you cold at all? Dawn, you're not even wearing a thick jacket!" Dawn's navy blue eyes met Paul's deep black ones momentarily, and they both blushed furiously. Reggie noticed this and was confused. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." They answered quickly…in unison. "Sorry, but I've gotta go find Zoey…See you around!" Dawn zipped out of the room and found the only place she could think of for privacy: the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection, deep in thought.

"_You're in quite a pickle,"_ the girl in the mirror stated.

"I'll say…I just don't know what to think!"

"_What does your heart say?"_

"I don't know! Ask it!" She realized she was arguing with herself. "I-I don't know. I think…But that's wrong! I can't like him!"

"_Why not?"_

"Because! Because…I just can't."

"_I think you're scared to love him, Dawn."_

"I am not!"

"…"

"Maybe…Okay, so what if I am‽ What do I do then?"

"_The best way to conquer a fear is to face it. Embrace your feelings, Dawn."_

* * *

"Are you gonna tell me what that was all about?"

"I already said it was nothing." 'Bug off, will you?'

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to figure out that I'm not gonna tell you."

"Touchy much? Let's grab a bite to eat and then we'll go." They grabbed plates off of the table and began loading them with sandwiches, finger foods, and snacks—or at least Reggie did. Paul's plate only held a handful of carrots and some pretzels. "Aren't you going to eat more than that?"

"I'm not hungry."

* * *

*Dawn's POV*

I know what I have to do. I grabbed a napkin and wrote something down and looked around for Paul. _There._ Heading out the door. No! I have to give this to him first!

"_Paul!_ Wait!" I ran over to him as fast as I could, waving the napkin in the air.

"Huh?" He whirled around, and his gaze softened a bit (just a _bit_, I swear!) when he saw me.

"Here; take this." I shoved the paper into his hands started to leave him, but impulse got the best of me. I gave him a hug and muttered "thank you" into his ear before giving him a peck on the cheek and running off. I turned around to see him standing there, a confusing expression on his face. I pointed to the sprig of mistletoe above the doorway, then turned back and entered the kitchen to look for Zoey.

* * *

*Paul's POV*

I stared, dumbfounded, at the spot she'd just been. The side of my face tingled and my heart pounded. I didn't even acknowledge Reggie, who was standing on the front steps, muttering "Thought so" and shaking his head in amusement. Hesitantly, I looked down at the crumpled napkin in my hands. A brief message was written on it:

_We've got a battle to finish_

_~Dawn Hikari 3_

_590-996-2351_

**A/N:** This chapter is for my dearest friend **pokemongirl101618**. Merry Christmas, hon! This is my first time writing _anything_ Ikari, so please let me know what you thought.

Couples left to write:

May x Drew- Contest

Jessie x James- Rocket


	4. Chapter 4: Rocket

**A/N:** A late update, I know. Sorry about that, but my laptop died while I was on vacation and I left the charger at home. Just some pointless RS fluff this time :D Next chap will either be Wishful or Contest (I haven't decided yet; tell me in a review, kk?)

**One more thing:** I realized I didn't include a song in the last chapter…my bad. I'm not going to change it though, because honestly I'm really proud of that chappy. This one will, as expected, include a song from the Christmas Bash album. I'll leave you to guess which ;)

And now, without further ado, CHAPTER FIVE!

"Care for some non-alcoholic eggnog, James?" a blue-eyed woman inquired, handing the glass to her friend.

"Thanks Jess. Having a nice time yet?" She sat down next to him in the cozy loveseat, gazing at the many party guests who were milling about before them.

"As nice of a time as I can have while surrounded by twerps," Jessie said with a smirk. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"Speaking of them, look over there," he said, pointing at Misty and Ash, who were dancing—albeit somewhat clumsily—on the other end of the room. Jessie scowled a bit at his laughter.

"You're not one to talk, James." He looked at her, puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, please," she sighed. "You were the same way when we started dating, and you know it." She smiled. 'I still can't believe you worked up the courage to propose,' Jessie whispered to herself, admiring the gorgeous ring adorning her left hand's ring finger.

"I was not!" James cried indignantly. "I'm a much better dancer than they are." Jessie laughed at his childishness and kissed him softly.

"Whatever stops the tears at night, dear." Two years ago at this time, Jessie wouldn't have dared act so "mushy" towards James. But things had changed after they'd left the team. Instead of separating like she'd feared they would, the three of them bought a nice house in Vermillion City and settled down. It had a beautiful view of the ocean, which Jessie loved, and was also near the city. Meowth had stayed with them, provided they didn't overdo it with the romance-y stuff.

"Could they have been any more obvious? I mean, really," James mumbled.

"Youse two was just as bad…if not worse!" piped Meowth from the above their heads. He was curled up on the headrest of the chair. "Huggin' all da time and whatnot."

"It's truuuuue," cooed a singsongy voice. Jessie whipped her head around and shouted in surprise.

"_H-h-HARLEY?!_" she screeched. "What do _you_ want?!"

"What, I can't say hello to my dear—_hiccup_—friends without being questioned?" a clearly intoxicated Harley responded. James instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around Jessie, an intimidating scowl present on his flawless face.

"No, you can't," he stated firmly. Jessie was impressed, not to mention a little turned on, by James's protectiveness. This was a rare side to him; the side that only came out when someone or something threatened her. People saw him as weak, but that was far from the truth.

"What's with everyone today? You're all so…_hiccup_…bah-humbug! Where's—_hiccup_—the Christmas spirit?" Harley droned almost incoherently. He stumbled, splashing wine onto the loveseat and barely missing Jessie's dress. "Oopsies," he giggled.

'That was close,' James thought. He shivered when he thought of how Jessie would react if her beautiful dress was ruined by that flamboyant pest. The couple had spent hours shopping for the perfect outfits; simply because they loved looking fancy—and fancy they did look. James's midnight blue suit perfectly complimented the gorgeous rose red dress that his fiancée wore. Both outfits were simple, but refined; unlike many previous costumes they'd worn, back in their Rocket days.

"Jessie, darling, let me see that ring!" Harley exclaimed, grabbing Jessie's hand before she could protest. "My, my!" he gushed, his voice even _more_ high-pitched than normal, "So, who _is_ the lucky guy?"

"That's it," both Jessie and James shouted at the same time. They stood up and faced Harley, menacing looks in their eyes. 'Dis is gonna be good…' Meowth thought, observing the scene with pure amusement.

"I suggest ya run, girly," the cat advised Harley. Even while drunk, he registered that the looks the young couple were giving him did not mean anything good.

"Alright, alright…" he slurred, "I'll go…" He backed away slowly, as if in the presence of a dangerous criminal—well, two ex-criminals with dangerous attitudes towards him, to be exact. "Merry…merry Christmas—_hiccup_—to you, too!"

_An hour later…_

A jovial tune began to play from the speakers, catching the ear of the lavender haired man. "Listen, Jessie!"

"_Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…_

"_Jack Frost nipping at your nose…"_

"Yuletide carols being sung by the choir!" he continued.

"And folks dressed up like Eskeemooos!" Meowth sang in his…unique singing voice. He laughed, then settled back down on his perch and just listened to his friends sing.

"Everybody knows a turkey and some _mistletoe_…" Meowth gagged dramatically when Jessie emphasized that last bit.

"…Help to make the season bright," James finished. They continued to sing the rest of the song, oblivious to the crowd of people that had stopped what they were doing to listen to them. Truth be told, Jessie and James' voices harmonized perfectly. The other guests gave the duo full attention, shocked by how well they could sing. James's voice was deep and strong, while Jessie's was much higher and airy.

When finished, the couple was startled by the loud applause from their audience. Blushing ever-so-slightly, they bowed, hand in hand.

"That was wonderful!" Delia gushed.

"I forgot you guys could sing so well!" Misty commented. For a second, they were confused; then they remembered the few times they'd sung their motto or various other songs while working. They smiled at the fond memories, nostalgia momentarily sweeping over them. Eventually, everyone returned to whatever they'd been doing previously and left the ex-Rockets alone. All, except for the hopelessly romantic Misty, who, too, had noticed Jessie's breathtaking ring. "Is that…No way!" Jessie nodded, beaming with joy.

"Congratulations! How come you didn't tell us?! Can I come to the wedding? No, that's rude of me to ask. When is it? Maybe I—"

"Slow down with the questions!" James exclaimed. "We haven't set a date yet. Honestly, we've hardly done any planning…we're just taking things slowly right now." Misty's eyes were sparkling; she absolutely loved romance. Plus, she'd known all along these two were made for each other, and it made the young girl that much happier to see that they had gotten the fairytale ending that she'd always dreamed of.

"You could let me help you plan! I can take care of the cake—Brock can do that—and then we can pick out your dress, Jessie, and then—"

"Misty, it seems like you're more excited about the wedding than we are! And we're pretty excited," Jessie laughed. "I _guess_ we can invite the twerps…what do you think, James?"

"Hmm…I don't know…" He winked, and Misty could tell he was only joking.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou! I can't wait! A wedding! Oh, this is so exciting!" She was bouncing up and down, squealing in girlish delight.

"Miiiiiiisty! Come here and look at this Hitmonchan! C'mon, the tournament's on!" called an excited sounding Ash from a few rooms away. Misty sighed and gave an exasperated 'ugh'.

"That's my cue," she huffed, "See you guys soon! Bye, Meowth!"

"Once a twerp, always a twerp," James sighed, kissing Jessie sweetly.

Not my best RS fic ever…oh well. I'm lacking inspiration.

**Review:** CS or WS for the next chapter? Gimme your ideas! ME WANTS THEM.


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